When Lyn Turner received notification that she has been included in the King’s Birthday Honours list she didn’t respond. She thought it might have been a scam!
But the communication was legitimate – and one of Carinity’s dedicated volunteer chaplains was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
“I feel extremely honoured and humbled to receive this award, but also grateful and excited; firstly just about being nominated and then about receiving the award,” Lyn said.
Lyn was recognised for her service to the community through her disaster relief roles and humanitarian work, and volunteering with Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy for ten years.
“There are many people who need our kindness and understanding and some of these – whether through difficult circumstances, lifestyle choices or just one bad mistake – have ended up in prison,” Lyn says of her chaplaincy work.
“As I visit a women’s prison, it is my belief that to save a mother is to save a generation. I trust that by visiting a prison each week as a chaplain I can offer pastoral care to the women, bring some meaning and positivity into their lives, and remind them that God loves and cares for them.”
As well as her prison chaplaincy service, Lyn’s OAM recognition also acknowledges her extensive disaster relief roles and serving communities in need abroad.
She volunteered for flood, disaster and cyclone relief efforts across Australia and Vanuatu, to share affected people’s “concerns and fears for the future and assisting them to rebuild their lives”.
Lyn has also helped to transform the lives of Bangladesh’s poorest residents, and supported people in Yazidi refugee camps in northern Iraq.
“We regularly hear about the many people worldwide who are survivors of war atrocities, and who are left living in squalid conditions and hurting deeply after the loss of loved ones,” she said.
“They are finding life a real struggle and, in volunteering in refugee camps, there is the opportunity to bring hope into the lives of some of these families.
“Showing compassion and working towards improving their living conditions, can give them the courage to keep going despite the heartache they have experienced.
“With the complete destruction of their homes, in fact their whole towns, they are now living in tents, through freezing cold winters and very hot summers. To be able to help them both physically and emotionally is a privilege.”
Lyn recommends people “volunteer in any capacity, in any place” whenever they are able.
“I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunities to serve others in various ways, and hope that my being a recipient of the OAM award will be an encouragement for others to also serve in their communities.”
Donations to the Carinity Chaplains Appeal will help dedicated Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy volunteer chaplains like Lyn to continue positively impact the lives of people in Queensland correctional centres.
